Norm has his thoughts, and I haven’t had time to watch the tape. First reports say it’s not good for the home team, and even worse was that the topic, via Waldo Jaquith:
Under relentless questioning about what he would do if a new Supreme Court overturned its 1973 abortion decision, Kilgore answered only that he supported a “a culture of life.”
“But, Mr. Kilgore, it’s a simple question,” debate moderator Tim Russert said, demanding a yes or no answer to whether he would outlaw abortion except for cases of rape, incest or the mother’s life.
Kilgore replied that the question was “a hypothetical. You don’t know what any Supreme Court in the future is going to do.”
“If the Virginia legislature passed a tax increase, would you veto it or sign it?” Russert persisted.
“I would veto it,” Kilgore answered.
“That’s a hypothetical question,” the NBC “Meet The Press” host interjected, cutting Kilgore off as a crowd of about 500 business leaders and politicians – most of them sympathetic to Kaine – broke into laughter at Kilgore’s expense.
This is bad in two ways. One, its waffling on the abortion issue. Two, it shows a lack of leadership.
Jerry, you know better. Stick to your principles, otherwise this is going to be the credible mantra of Tim Kaine from now until November (via OMT):
When he (Kaine) was done with Potts, he looked into the cameras and told the world that Russ Potts was emblematic of what’s wrong with Virginia’s GOP and how if you don’t want people who will fight like Russ and Jerry, vote for Kaine. It was a master stroke of planning. Russ got played like a $2 fiddle and didn’t even see it until the end.
Thank you Senator Chichester and the moderate Republicans. This is what breaking ranks accomplishes.
The sooner Kilgore quits trying to be all things to all people to a fractured GOP, the better. The simple solution? Sluff off the moderates, put the collective sins of the party on Russ Potts and start tossin’ rocks. I guarentee you no one will walk with him.
We gotta shift gears here. We can’t keep pandering to the middle. Russ Potts is the middle. Running to Russ Potts is not a credible campaign strategy. Running on principle and showing Virginians why smaller government works is a credible campaign strategy. Use it!